Is this a condenser precondenser? Will it work for my projector? It's out of a Lexus IS 350 headlight. Curved on the front, flat on the back, with multiple circles evenly distributed in the glass.

Would using a condenser flip the image again? When I look in it everything is upside down... Should I now put my LCD back in it's original pre strip orientation?

Sorry about the crappy image quality!

You mean as a PRECONDENSER that sits in front of the lamp itself? Without knowing it's diameter and focal it's hard to tell. Not to mention if it is at all Plano-Convex or mostly Aspherical. Since a precondenser only affects the lamp's arc illumination it does not affect how the image is twisted and brought on screen. Anything after the LCD does this such as the triplet.

LOL! Wow, you would think I just fell off the idiot wagon!!! Yep, I did mean precondenser! And no, my mind wasn't working at all when I posted that! Good thing I'm paying good money to go to college right???

Now that my head is screwed back on straight... What is the best way to determine focal length? I'll measure the diameter in the morning.

Thanks! Sorry for wasting your time!

I've been known to fall off more than once....ok 3 times but that's because she slipped me a mickey.... ...ah, nevermind

Several ways are the: 'I'm killing ants with my ray gun' or the 'I'm building a better flashlight'. Get distances while doing either of these. But here's a shortcut if it'll help....if your planning on using this with a panel in area of 15" and up then the diameter of the lens should be 4.5" on up. Anything smaller and it's just not going to work unless it's around 65mm in dia and you have a lamp with it's arc size of 10mm or less.

Do you think this one would work?

If not, do you see one that would? I'm having a hard time finding a precon that will work...

That depends on what your using i.e. size of panel, rear fresnel focal and size of your lamp arc or type of lamp could help.

I'm sorry!

Main componants:

Acer X163WB 15.6" 1366 x 768 with no FCC issues

400 Watt T15 bulb

400 Watt Coral Vue electronic ballast

14” Beseler triplet about to be either Pro or 20"/22" not sure yet.

220mm rear fresnel and a matching front fresnel for whatever new lens I get.

Thanks!

Acer X163WB 15.6"
220mm rear fresnel
400 Watt T15 bulb

Hard to find but a precon with about 5" (127mm) or larger diameter and about 9 to 12" (230 to 300mm) focal with your setup.

If you changed the rear fresnel to 330mm then a 4.5" (114mm) with a 6.5" (165mm) focal could be used.

I would need 110mm more space in my box right? I've already built the box so I guess that wont work. Hmmm... Think. Think. Think.

Well, if I can recall in my past 15" build, a precon with a 220mm brought the flat side of the lens (called plano) to the rear fresnel by about 155mm +/-. For a precon with a 330 it was 190's +/-. This is of course does not include the distance for bulb/reflector. The thing about using a precon brings the lamp engine closer while tightening the light cone.

since this thread isnt that old, and since its on topic

would something llike this work ? ebay link i realize there isnt that much info on the page, but if going by the one i have here on my desk (its 65mm dia with a 35mm focal length) it may just work...i hope

they are pcx lenses, but some of them are pcx lenses on both sides, albeit the flatter side may have a 2-3 mm bulge.

i have been able to find 3" variants with slightly longer focal lengths (40-50mm). Ideally they are made from pretty heavy glass (no idea if its boro or just crown) and are made to be close to 35W-55W hid (car) setups.

Its actually more aspherical than spherical, the projection from this would be to narrow to cover the width or height of your panel. Look for a wider lens at least 4.5" and up with a focal of 300mm at least, that's if your using a 220mm fresnel for a large lcd panel like 15".

If your willing, try this one out. It's meniscus (convex/concave) and not pcx, but it's cheaper.

at the moment im looking at a 330mm rear fressie, but thats only becuase of elkens testing with the 150w ceramic hid (which i plan on using).

i'll keep an eye on that meniscus lens, it sounds interesting and just may work for me !

also i dont know if they'll ship to australia

I assumed you might be using a 220mm fres so scratch that last lens I linked. If your using a 330mm rear fresnel then this might (no guarentees) work. It's smaller at 75mm in diameter, the goal is to find one about 115mm in dia or larger and around 165mm in focal to use with 330mm fres and if for using 15" panels unless your going smaller. The 75mm might do well with a smaller arc bulb like a 150w'r rather then the larger 400w and it's close to the focal you need. Might be something worth looking into.

Be warned, I don't know if these lens are heat resistant especially if using them with a 400w lamp. Take precaution and include additional air ventilation.